Foie Gras

Foie gras is a specialty food made from the liver of a duck or goose fattened by gavage, or force feeding, and French law recognizes it as part of the nation's protected cultural and gastronomic heritage; it has a rich, buttery, delicate flavor and is sold whole or made into mousse, parfait or pate, often accompanying other dishes such as steak. The force-feeding technique dates back to around 2500 BC, when ancient Egyptians confined birds to fatten them, and the Romans later refined the practice, coining the term iecur ficatum, fig-stuffed liver. France remains the leading producer and consumer today, with Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain, the United States and China among other significant producers, though gavage remains contentious on animal welfare grounds because it enlarges the liver to roughly ten times its normal size, and several countries restrict or ban its production or sale.